Its well known that the Cubans as well as Soviet advisers were deployed to Angola to support the MPLA as well as SWAPO. However, I remember reading somewhere that there was reported North Korean involvement in the conflict. For North Korea being known as the "Hermit Kingdom" this seems a bit out of character. Beyond the occasional saber rattling they really don't involve themselves past their neighbors. Does anyone know the extent of their support in Angola? Thank you in advance for any responses!
North Korea's contribution to the Angolan Civil War is very much overshadowed by the Chinese, Cuban and Soviet contributions to the war. However, we don't really know that much about the North Korean contribution due to the fact that we have no access to North Korean archives on the matter. There are so many claims about all sorts of nationalities getting involved in the Angolan Civil War in one way or another that it can be very difficult to sort the truth from the wishful thinking or active imagination.
We can say for certain that there has been North Korean advisors involved. North Korean military advisors have actually been very active on the African continent. They were involved in training the elite Kamanyola division of Zaire (modern day Democratic Republic of Congo) as well as sending advisors to countries such as Uganda and Zimbabwe as well as military aid to countries such as Madagascar and Zambia.
The things that we do know are rather sporadic. North Korean advisors trained FLNA soldiers during the Angolan War of Independence in Zaire. There are reports of North Korean advisors or possible combat troops in Angola during the Civil War but once more, we are not entirely certain. W. Martin James III in A Political History of the Civil War in Angola: 1974-1990 mention the total number of North Korean military personnel in Angola as 1,500 for 1986 and 3,000 for 1987. He does not unfortunately source these numbers nor is the contribution of North Korea discussed at all.